Fox’s Abolishment Of Pilot Season: Practical Guide To How Will It Work

Fox is switching to the cable development model. That is the takeaway from today’s announcement by Fox Chairman Kevin Reilly that the network will be bypassing pilot season this year and going forward. I sat down with Reilly to discuss how the changes will be implemented and what it means for writers, actors and agents.

First, “we are abandoning pilot season, not pilots,” Reilly stressed. “Pilots still are a helpful tool, especially on the comedy side where the alchemy is fragile, and you really need the casting to inform your decision on the project.” But going forward, “we will be ordering pilots geared towards series,” he said. That means picking up fewer pilots, which is the cable model. “Instead of making 10 pilots hoping to get one series on the air, I’d like to make it more 1-to-1 ratio,” Reilly said. That means fewer pilot roles for actors but a better chance for those who get pilots to get on the air. The switch also means likely buying fewer scripts, Reilly said.

This will be a transitional year as Fox has a stockpile of scripts, some of them with big commitments. “There will be a few more drama pilots ordered in the next month or so, with another half dozen pushed forward for the next cycle with further investment,” Reilly said. That involves a pilot order plus backup scripts and/or funds for a writing staff, or, in some cases, just extra scripts and a bible for a straight-to-series consideration. On the comedy side, “we’ll have a leaner slate, we will order a few more pilots.” There is no mandate for any of those to be ready in May for fall consideration, though, if magic strikes and a pilot comes quickly and knocks it out of the park, it could make it on the 2014-15 schedule. Expected to be on the schedule are Fox’s current pilots, drama Gothamand comedies Fatrick and Cabot College (Matt Hubbard), with Reilly expected to formalize their series orders next month. With those three, plus comedy series Mulaney and drama series Hieroglyph and Ben Affleck’s The Middle Man, there will be no much shelf space for new series anyway, especially as Reilly said he wanted to bring back most of the network’s current series and only has 15 hours of primetime versus 22 for the other major nets.

Going forward, Fox will not make series pickups based on one episode, as has been the pilot season tradition. Also like cable, Fox plans to commission backup scripts and set up small writers rooms while work on the pilot is going on — as it is currently doing with The Middle Man and Gotham — to get a detailed road map for the series before proceeding with an episodic order. That is not a ploy to make creators do more for the pilot fee and wait longer, Reilly said. “Fox wants to do more work in order to get their projects on the air.” He feels that message will attract talent under the new model, which is being widely used in cable. Fox also is adapting the straight-to-series template based off multiple scripts and a bible, which it used on adventure drama Hieroglyph.

As pilots shoot throughout the year, July-October is expected to be particularly busy, with the beginning of the year and spring also earmarked for pilot production activity. Fox also will try to be buying scripts year-round the way cable networks do. However, if the other broadcast networks don’t follow Fox’s lead and remain constrained by the traditional pilot season, Reilly anticipates more active buying during the so-called pitch season in summer and fall. He also plans to continue doing event series alongside traditional drama series.

The move away from pilot season had been years in the making, ever since Reilly returned to what he calls an “antiquated broadcast system” after a stint at FX. “The success ratio on broadcast is not great, so we can’t do any worse,” he said.

45 Comments

What's the show • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

It’s not how you develop as much as what you develop. If this model allows you to take bigger risks then it’s a good model. If you go with the same warmed over procedurals you’ll end up with the same failure rate.

Jed • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Then maybe it’s time for Murdoch and Fox to explore expanding their primetime an extra hour, as they’re established in the medium and business enough for them to go that next step along with offering a latenight talk show. You can only do so much on two hours a night and three on Sundays. Some FOX affiliates like the one in Chicago would be thrilled if such an idea happened, considering their news division is a trainwreck right now.

American • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

What a brilliant move!

I always thought the broadcast pilot season was wasteful!

KR • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

I’m glad that Kevin Reilly seems to be implementing some real change in the way a network works and it seems to be working for them. Who would have thought that Fox would be the most diverse and forward-thinking of the broadcast networks.

fluffo • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

FOX has ALWAYS been the most diverse and forward-thinking of the broadcast nets. In its history, the net has had some adventurous swings and misses. I’ve often said if you had a schedule made up of the stuff FOX has CANCELLED over the years, you’d have a pretty sweet line-up. Keen Eddie, Firefly, Ned & Stacey, Drive, Wonderfalls, Point Pleasant, Action, and the greatest, Profit, to name a few.

Will • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

And Arrested Development…

Mike • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Totally agree with you on that.

ah... • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

What does this mean for everyone that has pilots over there this season? They’ll get a call and be told, the living hell your going thru right now could last all year… or your pilot died, because there is no more pilot season.

James • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

It says in the article Fox have ordered fewer pilots for next season so there is as much a greater chance for the network to order some if not all of them to series right away. With Fox planning on going for year-round production, this is likely going to be the case.

validation • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

thank you, ah. for correctly identifying my current existence as a living hell. pilot development for networks is precisely that.

Thank you for helping us understand what it means if pilot season was abolished.
I found it most interesting and encouraging to read that “Fox wants to do more work in order to get their projects on air” and also “plays to continue doing event series alongside traditional drama series.”

As always, Deadline keeps us informed!
Ingrid Moss

777 • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

It is ok to not pick up any new shows for next pilot season, no explanations needed, as long as the current shows are working on the net work and just want to stick with those is fine. Only replace things when they’re no longer working , broken etc. Other networks pick up new shows and have to pull the plug after two episodes…..what was the productive reason behind getting new shows again? When something is not broken, don’t fix it.

Feedback • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

He’s not abandoning pilots. He’s abandoning the old timeframe. “Pilot season” will now last all year. He’ll be taking in pilots whenever he wants and premiering them whenever he wants like a cable network. I can see more shows being ordered directly to 10 episodes and then following it up with larger seasons. I think it makes far more sense than wasting a lot of time on evaluating 1 episode and then ordering a show to season where it might get canceled anyway.

Grant • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Wait, isn’t that like cable?

Mike • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

DUH thats what has been stated several times…

lucky • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Than Fox is now a CABLE Network NOT A Broadcast Network. Let’s see what the advertisers have to say about paying Fox now they are a cable network. And the retransmission fees for a Cable Network are? Duh Mike – what’s the magic answear?

This is all smoke and mirrors from a bunch of greedy lazy executives at the top of the Fox food chain.

Potato • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

So, wait, let me get this straight. Because Fox is shifting to a more cable like development process, they are now a cable network? Wow, I had no idea I became a vegetarian when I ate an apple this morning!

realist • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

If Fox’s Neilsons become cable-like, then yeah the advertisers might have something to say about that…

Anonymous • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Yes, and what does this mean for Fox’s advertising revenue? Why would advertisers pay network rates based on network schedules for airing new programming, etc…?

Just saying... • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

To make the decision now or the announcement anyhow, can only mean Fox’s development was beyond awful.

jayjay • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

I’m very excited for this change. I’m not excited about fewer acting, writing, and directing roles, but I am excited to see if this can improve the quality of broadcast television. Although, I wonder if they could sort of negate any lost jobs by picking up more summer series. Maybe I’m reading too much into Kevin’s statements, but buying series all year long could mean putting some more shows on during the summer. And unlike the current model, that would mean more shows actually being picked up, which should mean a little more money in writers, directors, and actors pockets, (Hopefully!)

lsb • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

I think they know the handwriting is on the wall, they have to be leaner, and more like cable. Especially if they lose the Supreme Court case against Aereo. I can see all those retransmission fees going down in flames.

Anonymous • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Stop making pilots. Instead give more shows 4 episode orders to prove themselves. If you like a concept order 4 scripts and actually film all 4 episodes and then actually air them. If they get good numbers you order another 8 episodes and air them a few months later. This way you get two different series with 12 episodes each instead of one show doing 24 episodes.

I like this idea, too. If you believe in the project, make it work. Also, open up your fall by cancelling “The X-Factor”.

THIS is how broadcast should be emulating cable. It’s not about the content and what you can and cannot get away with. It’s about the scheduling and committing to the programs you pick up.

Daniel S • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Fox is already moving towards year round programming. In May they have 24 Live Another Day & Gang Related. They’re also offering Wayward Pines all scripted series, not variety or reality junk. It would be nice to see Fox expand to 3 hrs a night but not holding my breath. In some cases like Sleepy Hollow & The Following they are following the cable format of only between 13-15 episodes a season. By forgoing the pilot season they may be on to something taking the emphasis off the traditional start of the TV season in the fall.

Fan • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

TV is about to start experiencing the same pain as the music and movie businesses. Next five years are going to be brutal.

Hi Fan • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

It’s not going to be brutal, not in the longterm. That is why every single cable outlet and streaming service on earth is trying desperately to get into the television game, because of how the economics look over the years. Yes, overall viewership is down on a year-to-year basis, but with the amount of streaming options available, TV properties will continue to recoup (and ultimately profit) the initial investment… and don’t forget how important a hit show can be to a network’s brand.

The music business is a different animal altogether, and the “death” of that business has largely been a matter of the “death” of high executive pay and massive outlays of cash to artists who aren’t necessarily deserving. The economic models on streaming music are definitely fucked in terms of what a raw deal musicians are getting (look at the salaries of Spotify execs compared to what artists make for providing the music — it’s borderline criminal), but it seems as if, by and large, the compensation for TV on the streaming services are comparable enough that artists and their representatives aren’t balking.

And the “pain” of the movie business has been overhyped. Don’t believe it. Of course less things are getting made, but the pendulum will swing back to quality. Remember when a few years ago, at the height of reality tv, everyone decried the death of the half-hour comedy?

troublemaker • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Here’s how it’s going to be brutal: consumers will dump overpriced cable in favor of lean, mean, CHEAP streaming. That will percolate up the food chain and mean that content production must be lean and mean as well.

Music has become an industry of a very few mega-stars, and everyone else straggling along on crumbs because consumers have gotten used to those 99 cent downloads instead of buying whole albums for just one song. TV and movies will undergo similar consolidation. Consumers will still demand quality, but they won’t pay much for it.

Digital media results in two things: happy consumers and carnage for those working in the business. The easy way to remember this is that piracy is the ultimate digital media business model. Consumers get what they want, when they want it, for no cost. That’s not a workable business model, obviously, but the industry will settle out at something closer to that than is currently the case.

Except... • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Consumers have never paid much for network broadcasting. Network television doesn’t rely on consumers for direct funding of the product, but advertisers. How this new model will affect advertising dollars is the big question.

INterested Observer • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

When has the cable model ever really worked for broadcast? Terra Nova was done under this exact philosophy and lost Fox tens of millions of dollars.

nostradamette • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Good example of how a cable “model” doesn’t necessarily result in cable-like content. Can you see an inane, derivative show like Terra Nova succeeding anywhere on cable? Even TNT wouldn’t go that low.

Brian • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Kevin Reilly… what a load!

The Ritz • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Agency assistants are grateful for Fox.

Jeff • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

But Fox bought so many great comedy scripts. That Harry Connick Jr one was great (it’s the Stangel bros, how could it not be?), and he’s knocking it out of the park on AI. And Here’s Your Damn Family is the funniest script I’ve ever read in years. And I’m not usually a fan of Ricky Blitt’s TV work (his movies are hilarious, though). Oh, and that Damon Wayans Jr pilot, just like the Connick one, how could they not?Animation, i know they have Bordertown, but they also have projects from Spike Feresten and Bret McKenzie. Both top notch writers. On the drama side, the only project I care about is Ball & Chain (love me some Peter Ocko!).

Chris • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Sounds as if there were some bad buying decisions over a FOX, and now they are tightening their belt. Plan on seeing lots of familiar faces on FOX’s “1-to-1, pilot to series model.”

Brad • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

How was Terra Nova done under this model? It was 22 and done.

Jerry • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

I love that this guy is now the “sage” of the industry. To my best recollection, in his 12 years or so of running 3 networks his “successes” have been, “The Shield” (great), “Nip Tuck” (sort of a hit), “My Name Is Earl” (great and then he moved it twice so it went from a break-out hit to 4 and done), “Glee” (huge, monster hit which he then allowed to become a show about gay kids in high school and is now just taking up space on TV), “Raising Hope” (good and then he moved it twice so it went from ‘hit’ to probably 4 and done), and lastly, “The New Girl” (started off as huge hit, then he took it off the air for no reason ((the George Washington Bridge lane closing of television)) where it lost all its momentum that it never regained). Using quotes regarding comedy development like “alchemy is fragile” makes him appear smart, but he really isn’t. The funny part is, if he left FOX, he’d get snapped up in a second by either ABC or NBC. And if I were part of those 2 networks, I’d probably hire him too.

Frank • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Agreed. The only way this changes things for Fox is if the content itself changes.

Fred • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

I am hopeful but this is meaningless if we do not expand the talent pool. In private many executives complain that the “have to hire” the same people. Unless Kevin and Fox are going to go outside of the “friends and family”plan that plagues the biz then all he is really doing is throwing out all the good pilots and relegating himself to the bad ones.

Chevrolet Smith • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

As far as the actual “business” is concerned (because ultimately we’re just selling soap, right?) what will this mean for Up Fronts? If there’s nothing (or very little) “new” to announce for Fox, will advertisers be more excited about the programming on the other networks and move the money in their budgets there? Because my understanding is the advertisers buy a majority of their time during this period. Obviously the money can be shifted some (because they do it when shows soar or flop) but for example – will a breakout show on Fox that premieres in March get ad dollars thrown at it to give Fox the juice it needs to survive? I know they’ll work it out. But how? Oh, Snarky Geniuses what say you?

Chevrolet Smith

J.R. Herbaugh • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

FOX already has six series lined up for next season, despite limited space on its schedule (see paragraph 3).

yw

gwen • on Jan 13, 2014 8:06 pm

Given th dross of the last couple of years across the networks i don’t think this is a bad move frankly,”comedies” that have made it to series have been woeful so maybe with this move standards can improve a little